The tremendous scientific advances of the 20th century were not matched by similar advances in the humanities. Man’s knowledge of the physical universe had far outdistanced his knowledge of himself. The resulting pressures from such an imbalance account for much of what has unsettled society and threatens our future. What Scientology represented to many when it appeared in the early 1950s was a restoration of the balance.

Despite its many successes, science has not provided answers to questions Man has been asking himself since time immemorial: Who are we? What do we consist of? Where do we come from? Where are we going? What are we doing?

These questions have always been the province of philosophy and religion, but traditional answers became inadequate in the face of the H-bomb.